ASP Grade 4 Unsound Junior Pro 2010: Kolohe Andino Wins In Long Beach

Conner Coffin and Nat Young were in top form at the ASP Grade-4 Unsound Junior Pro, but Kolohe Andino stood out as the star of the event and took the win.

16-year-old Kolohe Andino is the champion of the 2010 ASP Grade-4 Nike 6.0 Unsound Junior Pro in Long Beach, New York. Andino defeated the 19-year-old Nat Young in the Finals takes an early season lead on the new ASP North America Pro Junior Series ratings.

Surfers competing on the ASP North America Pro Junior Series are out to finish atop the regional ratings to qualify for the prestigious ASP World Junior Tour and the Nike 6.0 Unsound Junior Pro’s heightened ASP Grade-4 status will play a vital role in competitors overall standing for the season.

Andino carefully selected his waves throughout the entire event. Despite the tricky conditions, his patience paid off and he seized the Nike 6.0 Unsound Junior Pro victory.

“Everyone was surfing so well and I’m just stoked to have ended up in the Final,” said Kolohe Andino. “There are lots of waves out there, but wave selection is such a huge part of surfing heats.”

Kolohe Andino hopes to carry the momentum from his ASP Grade-4 win to the first stop on the ASP World Junior Tour, the Oakley Pro Junior in Bali.

“I’m really excited about heading to Bali and I’ve been working with my shaper Matt Biolis on getting my boards ready,” Andino said. “I’ll be traveling with Luke Davis and my Dad and it should be fun, I can’t wait.”

Despite his loss in the Final, Young posted the highest heat total of the day, a 16.40 out of 20 in his Quarterfinals heat.

“The tide got really high and the wind switched offshore,” Young said. “Everything that could go wrong went wrong for me out there. It was tough. I’m bummed. To make it to the Final and lose is always hard.”

Conner Coffin tore through the opening rounds of competition, but it wasn't enough to surpass Young in the Semifinals. The explosive regular-footer’s equal 3rd place results sets him in excellent position on the 2010 ASP North America Pro Junior Series ratings.

“I’m super excited on this result,” Coffin said. “I missed the World Juniors by one spot last year, so I’m psyched on this as my first result of the new season, especially since it’s a Grade-4.”